Mark Ingram has been about as steady as they come this season
It seems like every week fantasy owners have been crossing their fingers hoping to avoid the injury bug that affects their key players. Week 11 was no different as two more running backs were added to the injury list, Devonta Freeman (concussion) and Charcandrick West (hamstring). Their status’ are still unclear for Sunday. The Ravens, who have had a disappointing season, in general, suffered the biggest two losses on Sunday. They lost starting QB Joe Flacco (ACL) and starting RB Justin Forsett (broken arm). Who is it going to be in Week 12? Hopefully, none of the players below.
If you’ve read this column before, then you know that sometimes I’ll go against the grain. The key to winning money in a GPP tournament is to try and pick players that will have a low ownership percentage and deliver a good fantasy score. Because some of my picks may be a bit unorthodox, I will include cash options for each position as well.
Enter this week’s Guaranteed to Win FanDuel contest. Nobody loses! 
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins WAS vs. NYG $6,700
YES!!! New Orleans is coming off of their bye week. Except I don’t like Brian Hoyer this week as much as I normally would an opposing QB against the Saints defense. Hoyer is coming off a concussion two weeks ago, and because of the matchup against the Saints, I expect him to be owned in a large percentage of lineups. Another sexy pick is Carson Palmer against San Francisco this week. I’m going with Cousins because the Giants have been one of the best defenses for opposing QBs to face over the last four weeks. During that time, they have given up 26.95 fantasy points (second in the league) and nine touchdowns (tied for third in the league). Cousins has shown he has the capability of scoring over 20 FDP and has an excellent value at such a low price tag.
Cash Option
Running Backs
Mark Ingram NO vs. HOU $7,400
The best thing for a bad defense is a strong running game. The Saints’ defense needs to stay off the field and Ingram can help them do that. Even though Houston is good against the run, Ingram has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. In his last four games, Ingram has had close to, or over, 100 all-purpose yards and has scored double-digit FDP in all but one game this year.
T.J. Yeldon JAC vs. SD $6,500
Of all the running backs available to choose from this week, Yeldon has the best matchup. The Chargers have given up the most fantasy points to opposing RBs, 24.93 per game, and just let Kansas City’s third-string running back, Spencer Ware, rush for 96 yards against them last week. Whenever the Chargers have to fly across the country for an 1:00 EST start, it’s always trouble. I like the Jaguars in this game and a strong running game, led by Yeldon, should help them get the win.
Cash Options
Wide Receivers
Odell Beckham Jr. NYG @ WAS $9,100
With the money saved at some of the other positions, I can afford to spend on wide receivers. Over his two-year career so far, Beckham Jr. has loved playing against the Redskins. Earlier in the season, he had 7/79/1 against them and in his career he’s had 19/222/4 against Washington. He is one of those special players that always has the potential to have a huge game and has a favorable matchup on Sunday.
Allen Robinson JAC vs. SD $7,900
Robinson is the sixth highest scoring WR in fantasy this year and has developed a great rapport with Blake Bortles. The Charges have lost six straight and have been decimated by injuries all year. As I mentioned with regard to Yeldon, I like the Jaguars in this game.
Larry Fitzgerald ARI vs. SF $7,400
Since I’m not going with Palmer at QB, I’ll do the next best thing and go with his favorite target. This game should be a blowout and in order for that to happen, Fitzgerald should have a big game. He went for 9/134/2 the last time these two teams played each other in October and will hopefully do something similar to that this time around.
Cash Options
Tight End
Jordan Reed WAS vs. NYG $5,800
Because I am going with Cousins at QB, I’m taking Reed as my TE. If you want to roll the dice even more at TE this week, then Crockett Gillmore at $5,600 might be an even better value pick. Reed is one of Cousins’ favorite targets and the Giants are one of the worst defenses against opposing TEs. They have allowed 15.43 fantasy points per game (second in the league) over the past four weeks. Reed appeared to sprain his MCL in last week’s game but did not show up on Washington’s injury report at all this week, making it seem that he should be good to go against the Giants.
Cash Option
Kicker
Nick Novak HOU vs. NO $4,500
There should be plenty of offense in this game and Novak (at the minimum price for a kicker) is a solid option. He is 7-for-8 in FGs and 17-for-18 in XPs. The over/under in this game is 48, the highest of the weekend.
Cash Option
Defense
Kansas City Chiefs vs. BUF $4,500
I have underestimated the defensive position the past few weeks and just gone with whoever I thought was the best option with whatever money remained. However this week, looking over the position, I was shocked to see KC at the minimum price for a defense. They have been the top scoring fantasy defense over the last four weeks, scoring double-digits in each of the last four games. Other than LeSean McCoy, there is really no one on the Bills that scares me. This pick seems like a no-brainer.
Cash Option
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A.J. Stone is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from A.J., check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @ajstone18.
